HALL Winery Rutherford

HALL Winery Rutherford is located towards the end of a private road off the main road that leads to the well-known Auberge du Soleil Resort. Hall is one of a limited number of Napa Valley based wineries with more than two wineries and hospitality operations on seperate properties. This location is for their high-end reserve and estate single vineyard wines; these are wines that are produced in very limited quantities, some of which you can only find by visiting the winery. A visit here is for serious wine enthusiasts.

This winery was founded by Kathryn and Craig Hall and opened in 2005; for a more detailed look at the Hall history and their business interests, view our other review of HALL Wines (St. Helena location) on this website. Craig purchased this hillside Rutherford property as gift to Kathryn. These two are some of Napa Valley’s most accomplished and successful individuals across a diversity of interests and fields. Kathryn’s resume is an impressive one; she was appointed by President Clinton to be the USA Ambassador to Austria (from 1997 through 2001), she was instrumental in developing the nation’s first and largest affirmative action program (for Safeway Stores) and co-founded the North Texas Food bank. She has been involved in grape growing for many years; her family has been growing grapes in Mendocino County (to the north of Napa) since 1972.

Craig was raised in Ann Arbor Michigan; his life is an incredible success story with a long list of accomplishments. At the age of 18 in 1968 he created the HALL Group – a business whose specialty was originally college rooming houses and apartment buildings. Over time the company has diversified into the HALL Park in Frisco Texas, the KPMG Plaza at Hall Arts in downtown Dallas and various financial services offered through one of his companies, HALL Structured Finance. In addition to real estate, over the years Craig has invested in a diversity of other businesses and ventures including oil, American Airlines and the Dallas Cowboys.

Craig remains active overseeing projects relating to real estate, venture capital, technology and hotels. He is also an accomplished author, having written a number of well-known books about entrepreneurial practices, several of which are often available for sale in the tasting room including A Perfect Score: The Art, Soul, and Business of a 21st-Century Winery which he co-authored with Kathryn and was a a New York Times best-seller.

Both are prolific art collectors – with a public outdoor collection of art (Hall Arts) in the Dallas Arts District and smaller collections at both of their Napa wineries. They collect works of art from relatively unknown artists and visitors will see some of these in front of the winery including two beautiful Monarch butterflies perched on top of a tall pole. Kathryn has a number of butterfly works of art and was asked, “why butterflies?”. The answer was simply “who doesn’t like butterflies” …perfect!

And in addition to Hall Wines, the Hall’s also own WALT Wines with a tasting room in downtown Napa, BACA Wines with a vineyard and tasting room on the outskirts of Healdsburg in neighboring Sonoma County and maintain the HALL Napa Valley tasting room in the Thompson Hotel in Palm Springs.

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In late 2014 Hall Wines launched their “Appellation Exploration” experience. This 90-minute private tour and tasting is educational – and focuses on how differences in soils, microclimates and elevation can influence wines. Visitors will taste 100% varietal wines from different sub appellations within Napa Valley. Reserve well in advance as the winery is permitted by the county to host only 14 visitors daily.

The views overlooking the Napa Valley below on a clear day will certainly capture your attention – so will the wines once you start your tasting.

The tour starts in the main upstairs part of the winery – outdoor terraces and a large window provides excellent views of the valley floor and the Mayacamas mountains to the west. A stop will be made in one of their most highly regarded vineyards in their vineyard portfolio, the Sacrashe Vineyard located next to the winery. For reference Hall sources grapes from over 100 vineyard sites in both Napa Valley and neighboring Sonoma County.

The Halls purchased Sacrashe Vineyard in 1995 and by the late 1990s had built a gorgeous 12,000 square foot home on a part of the property that takes full advantage of the panoramic vistas; this was their first vineyard purchase in Napa Valley. The first wine produced under Hall was in 1996, 1,200 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Sacrashe Vineyard. However the 1996 and 1997 vintages were destroyed in a fire in 2000 at what is now the home of Frank Family Winery. Today the Hall’s own more than 500 acres of vineyards in Napa Valley and neighboring Sonoma County and other parts of California.

This is a special site for a number of reasons. The property ranges in elevation slightly but is at about 750 feet above sea level. The 33 acres of vines grow in volcanic ash (tuff); due to the soils and the elevation yields here are fairly low, typically less than 3 tons per acre. The property is primarily planted to Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller sections of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Over the years this vineyard has produced grapes for wineries such as Silver Oak, Duckhorn and Cakebread. Like all Napa Valley wines from premier vineyards, prices of the Cabernet Sauvignon produced from Sacrashe have increased significantly in several decades. For reference, in 2004 the price for a bottle of Hall Cabernet Sauvignon from Sacrashe was selling for $50.

Attention to detail is paramount here. Harvest often takes significant time as they do not harvest the entire vineyard at once, rather they separate the picking down to individual vines and blocks which are then fermented apart from one another. The tank room contains all custom-made tanks. From this room guests will proceed into part of their 14,000 square foot cave; a visit here is definitely one of the tour highlights.

The cavern roof is lined with handmade Austrian brick, each of which contains a family crest. This is not the first cellar in this neighborhood to import Austrian bricks. The cave at nearby SLOAN Estate is much longer than the one here, and also was lined with bricks from Austria. These bricks are old – ranging in age from the 14th through the 20th centuries. Alcoves throughout the cave contain modern works of art which are displayed on a rotating basis. And when one walks through here one can imagine a choir singing; in fact the Hall’s brought the the Vienna Boys Choir over to christen this cave when it first opened.

Tours end in the tasting room. This is no ordinary room – a brilliant chandelier containing hundreds of Swarovski crystals hangs from the ceiling; its shape represents grape roots as one would see them growing in soil. A massive mahogany table with inlaid white onyx is in the center of this room; this onyx changes color with a turn of a knob controlling the sunken lights. A tasting typically includes four appellation specific red wines.

Select Wines
The 2023 HALL Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley is medium straw in color; the energetic bouquet dances across one’s olfactory nerves like a vibrant salsa dancer who is physically and in terms of stamina, at the peak of her performance. Its diverse aromas are of citrus blossom, honeysuckle, pineapple guava, honeydew melon, lemongrass, and lime and grapefruit. The nose is herbal but not overtly green or grassy and that is an important distinction with this variety. The palate is bright, refreshing, crisp and mouth watering. It is also richly flavored. It offers notes of not fully ripe pineapple, green apple, honeydew melon, lime juice and common guava. Its texture is gentle and supple. Balanced. We would love to pair this with a variety of fresh Thai seafood, especially Thai giant freshwater prawns paired with spicy nam prik sauce.

The 2019 HALL, Katherine Hall Cabernet Sauvignon is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Merlot, with grapes sourced primarily from the Sacrache Vineyard. It was aged in 75% new French oak barrels (primarily Taransaud). This wine is deep ruby in color; first notes that we jotted down were that this wine smells like the variety. The bouquet offers floral scents including violets and lavender and opens up to a layer of toffee and Graham cracker. Supple on the entry. Supple mid palate. And supple on the finish. The tannin texture is as smooth as cashmere. The palate reveals flavors of blackberry, cherry cola, root beer, and raspberries. The finish is filled with fruit in union with toasted oak and darker spices including smoked sage and white pepper. Drinks easily and comfortably five years post vintage.

The 2018 HALL Mt Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby and opaque in the glass; dark fruited with a generous bouquet of black plum, dark cherry, boysenberry and blackberry – all at the peak of their ripeness. Other scents include mocha, melting brown chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate brownie. Flavors include plum, blackberry and dark cherry. This is a a dark, savory and texturally rich bottling. One can feel a density of tannins sporting a persistent grippy chalky-character; but instead of being ‘edgy’ their texture is more rounded/gravelly. Lingers with a notes of toasted oak, dried herbs and an earthy/drying character which ultimately out paces the fruit on the finish.

The 2011 HALL, Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon is equally as impressive as earlier Kathryn Hall bottlings. The nose is bright and lively showing notes of black currant, blackberry and as it opens mocha and coffee grounds along with hints of sage. There is a sweet core of fruit throughout the palate, framed with bright acidity, especially indicative of this particular vintage in Napa Valley. There is a lot of life in this wine from the bouquet through to the finish. Like the 2004 vintage, this wine is also very food friendly. And unlike a number of 2011s from Napa Valley which were tightly woven upon release, this wine drinks remarkably well in its youth.

The 2004 HALL Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon (sampled on our first visit) is an elegant European styled Bordeaux blend with seductive aromas including cigar, blackberry and cedar and some hints of currant as the wine opens up with lots of fruit on the mid palate. This is a well-balanced wine with a complexity of flavors including plum and nuances of roasted coffee. As a side note this wine pairs wonderfully with blue cheese.

The 2012 HALL Vineyards Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon is initially a bit closed aromatically. It takes a while to open but when it does it shows aromas of red cherry – almost cherry ‘piesque’ with some pretty floral notes (violets) and hints of brown chocolate. The entry is soft on the palate and becomes more complex towards the finish. Good tannin structure – well integrated with the fruit on the finish.

A spectacular wine is the 2005 HALL Diamond Mountain 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; this was their inaugural release of this wine and was only available at the winery. The palate is robust yet exhibits some restraint, while showing a broad depth of flavor and a mouth feel that significantly contributes to this wine’s balanced character. There are flavors of chocolate and black cherry, leading to a seamless finish supported by well-integrated and polished tannins. For reference, we tasted this wine 10 years post vintage.

The 2012 Hall Vineyards Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, while much younger is more robust as compared to the 2005 vintage, also sourced from a vineyard at elevation of approximately 1,600 feet. With a complexity of brooding dark mountain fruit, lively acidity and broadly distributed plus long-lasting tannins – this wine should continue to improve for many years.

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For elegant ambiance combined with art and world class wine, a visit to HALL Winery Rutherford is certainly a unique experience in Napa Valley.

For more information, to purchase wines, to schedule a visit or to join one of their two wine clubs, visit: www.hallwines.com

Hospitality

Winery/Cave

Sacrashe Vineyard